Thursday, April 27, 2017

Today we are continuing this week's theme of 'A Zotter a Day' with two Zotter products instead of one. I have decided to cover both because they are a part of a 'challenge' Zotter has put to its customers to try to identify different origin chocolates without labelling them directly.

Depending on the cacao used to make the chocolate,
each chocolate will have its own unique 'shade'.
This is one hint in Zotter's Challenge chocolate bars.

This cool line of chocolates by Zotter is in its Labooko collection of bars: the Contests. These are two-packs of chocolate bars, made from two different 'flavours' of chocolate. For instance, the Madagascar 75% versus the Columbia 75% pack offers one bar made from Madagascar origin cocoa beans and one bar from Columbia-origin cocoa beans, each with 75% cocoa solids for a good comparison of the natural origin flavours. The catch in these tasting 'contest' packs is that Zotter does not reveal to customers which bar is which. The package simply contains two chocolate bars, one on the right side and one on the left, unlabelled. And there is no secret answer anywhere on the package, nor on the Zotter website. Yikes, right? So let's take a closer look at some of the packs to see if we can 'win' the contest through taste.

Madagascar versus Colombia 75% dark chocolate challenge

Madagascar 75% vs Colombia 75% 'contest' chocolate bar set - for those who are not familiar with the taste of most Madagascar origin chocolate, this might be a difficult challenge. But if you've been around the chocolate block a few times, you'll instantly recognize it. If not from the lighter and slightly reddish colour, then from the fruitier and acidic taste.

The Colombia chocolate bar, which I am sure was on the right side of my package, was darker in colour (although not extremely dark). It offered deep roast flavours, earthy and some spice, with just a touch of fruit on the finish. The aroma was sweet vanilla and spice.

This was an excellent pairing of chocolate origins. They were different enough to highlight the affects of origin on chocolate flavour.

You can also purchase just the Madagascar chocolate bar online here. And the Colombia 75% chocolate bar can be purchased on it's own as well here.

The one tucked into the left side of the package was very delicate, it is creamy and also has the taste of cream, perhaps fruity with some orange blossom, citrus and something I can't quite articulate.

The right-side bar has a roast taste, a little richer or more bitter in cocoa flavour, some fruitiness, and a little spice and definitely some floral flavours.

I had hoped the Zotter website would tell us some flavour notes on each chocolate, but it did not give away any secrets. This drove me a little bit crazy. I think the intention is to have the customer also buy each flavour in its individual packages, such as the Belize 72% (find it by clicking here). However, the Panama only comes in a milk chocolate so you won't be able to compare there, but if you can purchase the Belize and get that figured out, it may be an easy solution.

Since I didn't purchase the Belize bar on its own, I will have to keep guessing for now.

If you are interested in tasting packs like these, but want to know which bar is which, try Sirene Chocolate's duo packs. The Madagascar vs Ecuador really highlights the difference between two origin chocolates, much like Zotter's Madagascar & Colombia package.

I haven't decided which Zotter to feature tomorrow, on the final day of this 'A Zotter a Day' theme week, but I will after some more extensive tasting :-). Tune in tomorrow to find out!

8 comments:

Lisabeth, actually it is revealed what bar is on what side (but maybe you have to be an insider to know that) - so I'll make it official. if you see the package on the inside, there is Colombia first and Madagascar second, what means Colombia is on the left side and Madagascar on the right side. Also we are in the process of changing our packaging and in the future there should be the description of the Colombian bar on the left and from the Madagascar bar on the right side of the package, as soon as you open it. It may take a while until it will be available packaged like this, but that is what will be new soon.

Lisabeth, thanks for sharing interesting post describing the taste and choice of people. As, John Anderson shared "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." it was the best lines to make understand that chocolate plays an important part to spread love and affection

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I am on a mission to taste all of the world's best chocolate, and to share what I have learned with you! As a chocolatier, pastry professional and business owner with an obsession for tasting new kinds of chocolate daily, and with creating something new in my commercial kitchen every week, I can share all sorts of tips, tricks and techniques for 'chocolatiering', bean-to-bar chocolate making, and for baking. Join me on this journey for recipes, reviews, and chocolaty gift ideas by way of my chocolate blog (www.ultimatechocolateblog.blogspot.com), my facebook page (The Ultimate Chocolate Blog), twitter (@ultimatelychoc) or Intagram (@ultimatelychocolate).
And be sure to check out the web site of Ultimately Chocolate, my chocolate and pastry business (www.ultimatelychocolate.com) in Canada. Oh, and I LOVE to make Piecaken and share my recipes at www.piecaken.blogspot.com.